My choice of tags takes into account this site’s full-text search. If a visitor wants to read about a particular species — say white-tailed deer or lupine — the search results will create a list of observations. I considered offering tags by “Taxa” (species, genus, family, etc.), but that would be far too granular for most visitors — and given my lack of formal training, create opportunities to introduce errors. I settled on the general, single-level tags below as a “Goldilocks” solution (not too big, not too small).
- Birds
- Mammals
- Reptiles
- Amphibians
- Pollinators (usually butterflies, moths and bees)
- Insects
- Spiders
- Invertebrates-Other (snails, worms, etc.)
- Wildflowers
- Trees
- Shrubs
- GrassesSedgesRushes
- MossesLichens
- Fungi
- Geology
- AnimalSign (for tracks, scat, nests, burrows, etc.)
- Meteorology
- NightSky
- Phenology (for seasonal events like first bloom, leaf-out, migration arrival/departure)
- Habitat
- HumanImpact (for observations related to human presence, disturbance, or conservation efforts)